Preview — The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson
by David P. Silcox

The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson

A compact edition of an award-winning best-seller -- more affordable than the celebrated original, but otherwise identical.

At a critical time in Canada's history, the Group of Seven revolutionized the country's appreciation of itself by celebrating Canada as a wild and beautiful land. These paintings of the wilderness evoke the same response in viewers today as they did whA compact edition of an award-winning best-seller -- more affordable than the celebrated original, but otherwise identical.

At a critical time in Canada's history, the Group of Seven revolutionized the country's appreciation of itself by celebrating Canada as a wild and beautiful land. These paintings of the wilderness evoke the same response in viewers today as they did when first exhibited.

The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson includes many never -- before reproduced paintings and presents the most complete and extensive collection of these artists' works ever published. The 400 paintings and drawings reveal the remarkable genius of all 10 painters who at some point were part of the movement. Tom Thomson, who died before the Group was established, was always present in the public mind. Included are works by:

Frank Carmichael Frank Johnston A.J. Casson Arthur Lismer Le Moine FitzGerald J.E.H. MacDonald Lawren Harris Tom Thomson Edwin Holgate F.H. Varley A.Y. Jackson The artwork is organized by the various regions of Canada, with additional sections on the war years and still-life paintings. Introductory essays provide a context for a greater understanding and appreciation of Canada's most celebrated artists....more

Community Reviews

The Canadian painters called The Group of Seven actually had eleven members. (Wilhelm says it has something about their being on the metric system up there.) However many of them there are, they were all brilliant and prolific painters whether they chose to paint portraits, gardens, the city, the wilderness, the plains, the Rockies, the far north, or anything else in Canada. They bring the country to life for me and they will for you when you see the 400 or so illustrations of their work in thisThe Canadian painters called The Group of Seven actually had eleven members. (Wilhelm says it has something about their being on the metric system up there.) However many of them there are, they were all brilliant and prolific painters whether they chose to paint portraits, gardens, the city, the wilderness, the plains, the Rockies, the far north, or anything else in Canada. They bring the country to life for me and they will for you when you see the 400 or so illustrations of their work in this book. . . .

To read the rest of my review, with illustrations of the paintings of these artists, go to my blog at:

After reading about the Canadian artist Andrew Colville, I was eager to pick up this overview of the group of artists who, at the turn of the 20th century, were influential in defining Canada as a “northern nation.” (The book’s northern light, as in Lawren Harris’s “Isolation Peak c. 1930” [p.55] and other mountain peaks [pp. 364-365], left me chilled, as if I'd been sitting in snow.) After they disbanded in the 1930s, myths grew up around them: how they pioneered virgin territories and forged tAfter reading about the Canadian artist Andrew Colville, I was eager to pick up this overview of the group of artists who, at the turn of the 20th century, were influential in defining Canada as a “northern nation.” (The book’s northern light, as in Lawren Harris’s “Isolation Peak c. 1930” [p.55] and other mountain peaks [pp. 364-365], left me chilled, as if I'd been sitting in snow.) After they disbanded in the 1930s, myths grew up around them: how they pioneered virgin territories and forged their own style independent of European conventions; how their paintings conveyed such an idea of wildness that politicians worried that immigrants might be discouraged. The book provides a window on an ongoing conversation about art and national identity, but most of all it is a marvelous (and, at four pounds, very weighty) collection of nicely produced art. Since I prefer portraits, I gravitated to E.H. Varley’s “Vera 1931” but also loved his “Open Window c. 1933” (pp. 64-65). Although the group called itself “the group of seven,” the actual number of people who exhibited under this umbrella varied, but one constant was the absence of women. Emily Carr, where are you?...more

Not long after the death of artist Tom Thomson in 1917, a group of artists with whom he’d worked met and founded the Group of Seven, a group of artists who primarily painted the Canadian landscape which was then not in vogue and in their own styles instead of attempting to copy the then fashions or Europe. As an aside, Australians may be aware of a group of artists termed the Heidelberg School who did much the same in Australia – there’s a significant parallel between the two groups.

The works byNot long after the death of artist Tom Thomson in 1917, a group of artists with whom he’d worked met and founded the Group of Seven, a group of artists who primarily painted the Canadian landscape which was then not in vogue and in their own styles instead of attempting to copy the then fashions or Europe. As an aside, Australians may be aware of a group of artists termed the Heidelberg School who did much the same in Australia – there’s a significant parallel between the two groups.

The works by the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson form the majority of the collection of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, Ontario which is my favourite art gallery, hence any collection of their works is of interest and this book does an excellent job of it, organised by painting subject and region with thorough commentary on the artists and reproductions of many of their works. It was a pleasure to read and remains a pleasure to pull off the bookshelf and leaf through from time to time....more

I wanted a book on the group of seven after seeing some of their work at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. I wanted a book with information on the artists and their paintings and how they came to be with beautiful pictures of their works. This book couldn't be more perfect! 441 glossy pages of beautiful art work and stories.

I thought I would just use it as a reference but I am enjoying just reading it. Unfortunately it is too big to carry around but I wouldn't want the art work to be any smalI wanted a book on the group of seven after seeing some of their work at the National Art Gallery in Ottawa. I wanted a book with information on the artists and their paintings and how they came to be with beautiful pictures of their works. This book couldn't be more perfect! 441 glossy pages of beautiful art work and stories.

I thought I would just use it as a reference but I am enjoying just reading it. Unfortunately it is too big to carry around but I wouldn't want the art work to be any smaller. For a book of art it is on the smaller size but I'm not complaining. The art work is so beautifully presented in full colour. I love that the pictures and the text are presented on separate pages and that they aren't mashed in together. It just makes for a clean, pretty presentation.

When I picked it up and thumbed through it I fell for it right away and thought I was in trouble, expecting it to be around $100. It is only $49.95 CDN. It's mine! All mine. ...more

Found this book in the national art gallery of Canada after being thrilled by Lawren Harris' work in the standing exhibit. I can't believe I had to travel to Canada to learn about these Canadian artists. Harris' work rivals that of O'Keefe and the book is a great compendium of the Group of Seven's work. It's almost all plates and very little text, which is what an art book should be. One of the best art books I've ever found

A beautiful book with good information about this group of artists and their work. More importantly, it contains many examples of their art, which I flip through regularly when particularly sad, happy, distressed, joyed, or even neutral - the paintings are worth seeing no matter the mood that I am in.

I see a big difference today, with youth challenging authorial intent. I play big or drop out normally. So, to the youth of today: of "The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson" manual of workmanship, I speak highly for it.